It’s that time of year again … time to scramble to get passes to the best EDM festivals across Europe and the globe.
More than ever, this is a billion-euro business, with top stars such as Tïesto, David Getta and Calvin Harris working with top stars such as Dua Lipa, Bebe Rexha and Tate McRae, banking millions and living on Billionaires’ Row in Miami. So, yeah, the biggest festivals such as Time Warp cost millions to stage, sell out fast … and cost more to attend every year.
And being global businesses, many of these festivals such as Time Warp and Tomorrowland have spun off clones in the United States and on other continents. Dispatches gets regular releases from the PR people, so look for updates through 2024.
Amnesia Pyramid Special
26 April, Ibiza
We declare the summer season officially under way.
Amnesia, one of Ibiza’s most celebrated club, opens the season on Sin Island with a huge music industry conference, the International Music Summit, which will climax with a lineup of the world’s most cutting edge house and techno stars.
Playing Amnesia’s Terraza space for the first party of the 2024 season will be East End Dubs, Hot Since 82, Sweely and Sara de Araújo while in the Main Room it will be Amelie Lens, Indira Paganotto, Héctor Oaks and Luca Donzelli.
So you can hang with music industry types AND hear the latest music first. Tickets start at 45 euros and you can get yours here.
Home Again Club Festival
8 May thru 13 May in Berlin
Home Again returns to Berlin for a second year with 100 hours of music, up 53 percent from 65 hours in its inaugural year. There will be a lot going on for that 100 hours including performances by 50 DJs and performers, takeovers, panels and master classes, all in two warehouses, and on four stages.
Nils Thabo Gelfort, founder of the Home Again record label, states in a media release:
The Home Again Club Festival is our approach to showcasing the diverse nuances that exist in electronic music today. More than anything, it’s a lineup of artists we love. It’s pretty simple actually. The timetable has been curated in a way that one could potentially stay the whole 100 hours and not get bored, but of course, we suggest taking a break in-between, then coming straight back for round 2 or 3 or however many rounds you can fit in 100 hours.
You can see the list of acts here.
Now here’s the best part … all this, and a 5-day unlimited entry ticket is only 42 euros, not 400
Here’s the pricing and it appears tickets are only available through Resident Advisor here.
• Day ticket: 25 euros, valid for a single entry, no re-entry
• 5-Day-Festival ticket (standard): 39 euros, covers the entire event, but re-entry incurs an additional 7 euros each time.
• 5-Day-Festival ticket (unlimited): 49 euros, encompasses the entire event, permitting unlimited re-entry at no extra cost.
Amnesia Opening Party 2024
11 May, Ibiza
The party season opens on Ibiza at the place voted the best global club for years running. 2024 opens with 999999999, Joseph Capriati, Marco Faraone, Honey Dijon, Nina Kraviz and lots of others. What makes this place special, other than its on Europe’s party island, is the money the club has invested in lights and sound.
Early bird tickets start at 60 euros and you can get yours here.
Sunny Side Festival
17 May thru 19 May, Mellieħa, Malta
This is a first-year event, so bear that in mind. But it sounds promising.
Sunny Side is at two locations – Uno Malta Club and Armier Beach Club on Tortuga Beach in Melliena. Festival organizers promise more than 30 performances from the best artists across the underground dance music spectrum, with specific focus on all the shades of House, Techno, Electro and Breaks music.
You can see the full list here.
Tickets are 100 euros for all three days, and you can get them here.
MOGA Festival
29 May thru 2 June in Costa da Caparica, Portugal
MOGA Festival started in Morocco, but as these things do now, expanded to Europe. And not just anywhere in Europe, but Portugal, which seems a pretty obvious move.
This is another beautiful people having beautiful experiences at an EDM festival on the beach. But not just any beach … a beach 20 minutes outside Lisbon, merging two clubs – Waikiki and Borda d’Agua – into a festival venue with three stages.
The line-up includes Dekmantel Sound System out of Amsterdam, Paso Doble, Acid Pauli and a bunch more. You can see all the acts here, with more to be announced.
Passes start at 120 euros, and you can get yours here.
Primavera Sound
29 May thru 2 June at Parc del Fòrum in Barcelona
This is one of the big ones, and this year’s 22nd Primavera Sound has one of the cooler lineups, a lineup that includes Lana Del Rey, SZA, Pulp, Vampire Weekend, Mitski, Charli XCX, Justice, PJ Harvey, The National, FKA twigs, Disclosure, Bikini Kill, Deftones, and Troye Sivan.
We don’t have to tell you this one is going to be pricy.
Tickets start at 295 euros and you can get yours here.
Gates of Agartha
7 & 8 June at Cave Romane in Pula, Croatia
Yet another new festival in Croatia, but one that’s putting Names on stage including Adriatique, Bedouin, Dixon, Vintage Culture, Seth Troxler, TSHA and Avantgart Tabldot. Gates of Agartha is at an old quarry, and repurposing settings is a thing for Turkish brotherrs Yaaz and Yalim Acar, who put on shows in the caves of the famous Cappadocia region.
Two-day tickets start at 148.89 and you can get yours here.
This year, you have the option of staying at Pula Brioni Hotel for a whopping 2,700 euros. Mus ba niiiiice!
UNUM Festival 2024
6 thru 11 June, Shëngjin, Albania
Albania might be the last European country with beaches and mountains that is ignored by the tourist masses. But not by EDM fest fans.
UNUM Festival isn’t a conventional festival i but a music-centric gathering “for those in the know,” according to the release we got. Six days of almost uninterrupted music in exclusive settings. Dancing on the beach. Camping in a rustic setting.
All good.
UNUM is for fans of underground and minimalist EDM. And they pack a LOT of performers into those six days including Altin Bosh, Anfisa Letyago, Arapu, Cabanne, Christian AB, DJ Reas, Varhat (Live), John Dimas, Korolova, Maher Daniel, Manu Gonzalez, Praslea, Priku, Raresh, Rhadoo, Sonja Moonear and many more. We counted somewhere around 85 artists on three stages.
Tickets start at 159 euros and you can get yours here.
Nameless Festival
14 thru 16 June at Annone di Brianza south of Lake Como
One of our favorite destinations in Europe has a music festival! Who knew …?
Well, we’re thinking the Italians, for one. This 10-year-old festival will bring Benny Benassi, Boys Noize, Justice, Chase & Status (DJ Set), deadmau5, Kungs, Level Up, Subtronics, Wooli, Bizarrap, DJ Snake, Dombresky, Jersey (live) and Sammy Virji to a green space just south of Lake Como.
Nameless Festival is mostly sold out, but there are a few tickets left starting at 159 euros. You can get them here.
Pinkpop
21 thru 23 June, Landgraaf, Netherlands
This is the biggest of the big Dutch rock n’pop festivals, though Calvin Harris, the world’s richest DJ, is on the bill for ’24. This year, headliners include Limp Bizkit, Ed Sheran (of course), Maneskin and a bunch of kind of retro acts.
This is a true event, with camping and lots of polite Dutch madness. And we have Dutch friends who have been going to Pinkpop since they were kids, and now in their 30s, they still never miss a year.
You can try to get tickets here, though it looks like it’s sold out and there’s a waiting list.
Tomorrowland
19 thru 28 June in Boom, Belgium
This is the big one for Europeans, on the same level as Cochella, but without the weird Boujee hippy-dippy vibe. It’s more like Woodstock, with 70,000 attendees expected for ’24. How big is this? Well, the Tomorrowland Insty feed has 9.2 million followers.
Each year has a theme, and for 2024, it’s “LIFE,” all caps. We wish we could tell you who’s playing, but even at this late date, there’s no official lineup. That shouldn’t dissuade you from trying to get tickets, and you can get on the list here. Good luck … you’ll need it.
Last year, the lineup included Afrojack, Armin van Buuren, Ape Rave Club, Like Mike, Kölsch and Tale of Us.
Hideout Festival
23 to 27 June, Zrce Beach, Croatia
Hideout Festival will return next year to Zrce Beach in Croatia from 23 to 27 June with four stages of EDM DJs/live acts.
You can book tickets, accommodation and flight packages here through the festival for a deposit of 149 pounds. Tickets start at 189 pounds.
The line-up promises Names from across the dance music spectrum that takes in both legends and a curated mix of new talents. Returning favorites and big hitters include 4am Kru (Live), Alan Fitzpatrick, Eats Everything, Flava D, Girls Don’t Sync, Interplanetary Criminal, Joy Orbison, Mall Grab, Prospa, Sarah Story, Skream, and Solardo. Debuts include Bicep performance of their Chroma AV DJ show, Nia Archives, blk., Hannah Laing, Oden & Fatzo (Live), Sammy Virji, VTSS, Fleur Shore, Love Remain and Y U QT.
Hospitality on the Beach
2 July thru 9 July, Tisno, Croatia
The world’s biggest drum and bass celebration is heading to Croatia’s The Garden Resort. Hospitality On The Beach will play out across four stages on the Adriatic with some of the scenes hottest artists including: A.M.C, Alix Perez, Camo & Krooked, DJ Marky, Fabio & Grooverider, Flava D, Kings Of The Rollers & Inja, Lens, LTJ Bukem, Metrik, P Money X Whiney, Sub Focus and more.
Hospitality On The Beach debuted in 2018 and has since had three editions, including one in Albania. It has evolved in that time and is now known for putting on major events in prime locations. The are boat parties and an al fresco afterparty. While you’re there, explore the town of Tisno which offers seafood restaurants, pizzerias, bakeries and gelato shops.
The Garden Resort offers apartments, “luxury” mobile homes (we’ve heard it all, now), camping or hostels which you can book direct.
Tickets start at 190 pounds and you can get yours here.
Heineken Balaton Sound
3 July thru 6 July, Lake Balaton, Zamárdi, Hungary
You had to wonder how long it would be before big biz realized the value of branding music festivals with thousands of young, affluent attendees.
This festival in Hungary is the first that we know of to be sponsored, though this is pretty common in the world of ski festivals. Heineken Balaton Sound is on Lake Balaton, so you can relax, go on a boat cruise and soak up the sun during the day while dancing the night away.
For a newish festival, the lineup is impressive, with Kölsch, Maceo Plex, Adam Beyer, Marshmello, Paul Kalkbrenner, Stephan Bodzin (live), Reinier Zonneveld (live), Mathame, FJAAK, Mind Against, Maceo Plex, Miss Monique and hard dance techno stars Sara Landry, Trym, 999999999 and of course, Timmy Trumpet. But when you have the world’s second-biggest brewery as a sponsor, all things are possible.
Day tickets start at 59 euros, multi-day passes at 195 euros and you can get yours here.
Ultra Europe
12 July thru 14 July in Split, Croatia
This is arguably Croatia’s biggest EDM event. What’ not debatable is that Ultra Europe puts mega Names on stage.
For 2024, the headliners have just been announced and they include Adam Beyer, Armin van Buuren, Boris Brejcha, Eric Prydz, Hardwell and Martin Garrix and Timmy Trumpet. (I’m sorry, but we can never type “Timmy Trumpet” without giggling.)
This festival attracts a crazy number of people from all over the world. So a word to the wise – get your tickets ASAP. Considering Ultra puts Armin van Buuren, AND Martin Garrix on stage, tickets as expensive as you might imagine, starting at 179 euros, and you can get yours here. (A note – the euro has replaced the kuna now for more than a year, so you don’t have to worry about changing money anymore.)
Terminal V Croatia
18 July thru 22 July, Tisno Beach, Croatia
The UK’s big party brand brings the show to four open-air stages at Garden Resort in Croatia for its first international event. Acts for this debut event include Klangkuenstler, Mall Grab, AZYR, Charlie Sparks, MRD, SNTS, Funk Assault. Horsegiirl, Dyen, KI/KI, Adiel, Hannah Laing, Kobosil, Kettama and more, according to the media release we got.
Tickets are about 182 euros, and you can get yours here. (The festival cuts off at 6,000 people.) That ticket does NOT include accommodations, which will run you at least a couple of hundreds euros per night, depending on where you book. And then there are the boat parties and whatever, so bring lots of cash.
By the way, Terminal V just won DJ Mag’s best British Festival award for 2023 for its huge events in Scotland.
Sea You Festival
19 July to 21 July, Lake Tunisee, Germany
Germany’s Sea You Festival returns from 19 July to 21 July. The setting is Lake Tunisee near Freiburg on the edge of the Black Forest, and this is a big festival, promising 150 DJs/acts. They include some big Names including 999999999, Adam Beyer, Boris Brejcha, I Hate Models, Len Faki, Lilly Palmer, Pan-Pot, Reinier Zonneveld (Live), Rodriguez Jr. (Live, Shlømo, Worakls Orchestra and more.
The Sea You Festival is one of the most popular electronic music festivals in Germany. Water sports and other activities in and on the lake means the “Beach Republic” offers an ultimate summer experience … well, as summery as Southernwestern Germany gets.
This festival, which debuted in 2014, tends to sellout, and you can get your tickets here. They start at 159 euros.
The festival has three campsites. It is located directly on the swimming lake with bathing and dancing in, around 1 kilometer of beachfront and views of the Black Forest.
Love Family Park
3 August and 4 August in Rebstockpark in Frankfurt.
Love Family Park is back in the stunning Rebstockpark in Frankfurt am Main for the 25th year. This year will be a two-day party over the weekend of 3 August and 4 August, with two stages each day.
Day One of Love Family park will put adam Beyer, Charlie Sparks, Loco Dice, Patrick Mason, Sven Väth and more and on those stages. Day Two will feature 999999999, Alignment, Indira Paganotto, Mind Against, Miss Monique, PAN-POT b2b Sama’ Abdulhadi, Reinier Zonneveld live and Trym.
So, two high-energy days in the park, which has been a bit of an issue in the past with noise complaints. Oganiser reduced the capacity to 10,000 guests last year, but this year will double capacity to 20, 000 people, according to the press release we got.
Tickets start at 59 euros and you can get yours here. And for the record, we love the 1990s bitmapped, retro graphics on the website.
Les Plages Életroniques
16 thru 18 August in Cannes
This mega-festival in Cannes is one of the Beautiful People events that draws nearly 100,000 people every year. This year, Names include Boris Brejcha, Paul Kalkbrenner and – you guessed it – Timmy Trumpet. But the French prefer to keep things French, so there are a lot of DJs and acts we’ve never heard of. Which is cool. There are worse places to build your career than on the beach in Cannes.
What there is not is an English website, so we hope you parle Français.
Day passes start at 50 euros and you can get yours here. Now, as for getting a hotel room in August in the South of France … bonne chance avec ça.
Hospitality in the Woods
17 August in Beckenham Place Park, London
This is the drum & bass event of the year and the only one in a lush London park.
For a 10-hour festival (noon to 10 p.m.), there’s a crazy number of acts. We couldn’t list them all, so we’re including the graphic at the top.
Tickets start at 48.65 pounds and you can get yours here.
BEONIX Music Festival
20 to 22 September, Limassol, Cyprus
BEONIX Music Festival returns to Cyprus for another hot (literally) year with three stages, 50 DJs, and more than 30 hours of electronic music. Headlining the event are Fatboy Slim and Claptone with Estella Boersma, GHEIST (live), Teenage Mutants and Undercatt
Last year, the festival drew thousands of music lovers, with headliners Black Coffee, Paul Kalkbrenner, Stephan Bodzin, Maceo Plex, and Oliver Huntemann, so this is a big deal year after year.
Day passes are 125 euros and you can get yours here.
